Setback for BJD as Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray quits, likely to join BJP

25 May 2026 Evaluate

Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) member Debashish Samantaray, resigned from the primary membership of the party, saying he felt belittled over time

Samantray formally submitted his resignation letter to BJD President Naveen Patnaik in the morning before heading to tender his resignation from his Upper House seat.

In his resignation letter to BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, Samantaray stated, 'I do hereby resign from the primary membership of BJD. Of late, I felt I have been systematically belittled in the party and that it does not require my services. Therefore, I have taken this hard decision in public interest and request you to accept my resignation.'

He further said, ‘I shall always be indebted to you for nominating me to Rajya Sabha. I take this opportunity to express my sincere and deepest gratitude to you for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of undivided Cuttack district and to raise issues concerning Odisha at the national level’.

When questioned about his future political moves and whether he intended to join the BJP, Samantray did not deny the possibility, stating, ‘Well, as a politician, we naturally keep some options open. You will find out very soon when I will join.’

Earlier, Samantaray had resigned from the post of vice-president of the BJD senior citizens’ cell in November 2025, citing dissatisfaction with the party’s functioning. Samantaray’s resignation comes months after two other Rajya Sabha members Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar quit the BJD and joined the BJP in 2024.

Meanwhile, rejecting suggestions that Samantaray’s resignation was a setback to the party, the BJD claimed his exit would instead strengthen the organisation in Cuttack. With Samantaray’s resignation, the BJD’s strength in the Rajya Sabha is likely to come down to five MPs.

Samantaray, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2024, had been a known critic of former bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian, who withdrew from active politics after the BJD’s defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly elections.

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